New twist to Chirumanzu chieftainship wrangle

STEPHEN CHADENGA

The Chirumanzu chieftainship wrangle has taken a new twist with  the elders threatening to oust acting chief  Fidelis Mudzengi accusing him of flouting the chieftainship customs.

They threatened to use ‘any means’ to repossess the sceptre from the traditional leader.

A sceptre is an ornamented baton carried by rulers as an emblem of authority.

Apparently, the clan of chieftainship elders who claim they are the only official representatives of the Chirumanzu community on chieftainship matters, wrote a letter to the Midlands Provincial chiefs’ council indicating their plans to reclaim the traditional ornament from Mudzengi.

“The Chirumanzu royal families Dare clan, the 12 houses of Nherera and Simba who are the heirs to Chirumanzu chieftainship and traditional leaders of our people met on the 24th September 2022 and passed a unanimous resolution to take back the sacred scepter of Chirumanzu chieftainship from the acting Chief Fidelis Mudzengi,” part of the letter reads.

It continued: “The Chirumanzu chieftainship clan was forced to take this extraordinary action due to a series of deliberate violations of Chirumanzu customs, traditions, culture and traditional family life.”

The elders accuse Mudzengi of unilaterally making headmen appointments without following procedure and conducting traditional ceremonies without following customary practices among other accusations.

Repeated efforts to reach Mudzengi were fruitless but over the years he has maintained to be the rightful heir to the throne.

The battle for the Chirumanzu chieftainship started following the death of the late Chief Jerald Mudzengi in February 2019.

Fidelis, son to the deceased Mudzengi, has been acting since then but has allegedly refused to hand over power to the next heir, one Julius Chimbi Chigegwe, at the end of his acting term in February last year.